House Committee Revises Funding Plan To Provide Aid To Local School Districts

The House Appropriations Committee has revised its school funding plan to be more generous in providing aid to local school districts.

The State Supreme Court ruled in March that lawmakers created inequalities between school districts by cutting education funds.

The bill is designed to satisfy the ruling’s call to increase funding.

It contains an additional $141 million dollars in aid for those districts for the next school year.

The committee had proposed trimming aid to all districts for their transportation programs, online classes and programs for at-risk children. It had also considered reducing payments for teacher pensions.

The Kansas House Appropriations Committee will start hearings Monday on a budget bill to comply with a state Supreme Court ruling over education funding.

However, the bill will cover more than just school spending.

The budget bill before the committee includes other policy items like rewriting teacher licensure rules. Chairman Marc Rhoades, a Newton Republican, told committee members last week about the broad scope of the discussion.